Herfordshire, England, UK – Director Chloé Zhao’s 2025 Hamnet, adapted from Maggie O’Farall’s novel, is sickeningly beautiful and left my head aching from sobbing.
Listen to the author read this review:
In Hamnet, Agnes [Jessie Buckley] and William Shakespeare [Paul Mescal] struggle to deal with the death of their son Hamnet, leading to immense strain in their relationship.
As Agnes struggles to recover, Shakespeare writes Hamlet (a name interchangeable with Hamnet in this era,) as an artistic expression of his grief.
The intricate attention to detail paid to the costumes was impressive. Unlike many period productions, Hamnet felt truly Elizabethan. Each character had very few outfits, all well worn, and their bare faces were dirty, launching you immediately into the rawness of the 16th century.
The setting and soundtrack were used carefully to create the mood – eerie, gentle and somewhat magical. Single shots of the forest, or a river, or a bird captured pages of description perfectly.
The music, too, was spellbinding. Max Richter, who composed the soundtrack, expertly blended Elizabethan instruments with modern elements to reveal layers of emotional depth beneath the words.
While Mescal’s performance as Shakespeare was beautiful, Buckley’s Agnes was what left my heart pounding and my nose running. She captures the rawness of death in her character’s transformation. She appears as a true grieving mother, wracked with guilt and despair and rage.
The film encourages questions about gender and grief, how Agnes was destroyed while William seemed to go on living.
William’s emotionlessness is a stark contrast to Agnes’ desperation. He runs while she wallows. This difference is part of what makes the film so stunning.
It is relatable for many heterosexual couples in which while the woman has been taught to feel while the man is told to stay silent. This creates conflict, some of which is clearly illustrated on screen. She inevitably wants to talk and he just wants to lose himself in something else.
The backdrop of the plague created a sinister undercurrent, particularly impactful in a post-COVID world.
The fear of death running through the film gave me flashbacks to lockdown. It was an interesting parallel, perhaps unintentional, but adding depth and relatability to the family’s grief.
The film ends with Agnes seeing Hamlet and finally understanding how her husband has been grieving too.
Overall, Hamnet is a beautiful exploration of life, death and the impact of art.
Elodie Cockerell is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
